Sword of the Forest Chapter 3: Stormy Scarlet Halo
by Scarlet Pikachu
Summary: Requested by Stormcatcher32, the third chapter of his story, "The Sword of the Forest". I ask you to please read his story first so you know somewhat what this is all about and then this one. He was kinda stumped, so I decided I'd help him out! Oneshot.


The girl sat on the jutting rock, her legs dangling as she played a soft melody on her ocarina. A pink cloak was covering her, appearing to devour her entirely except for her hands that, gracefully skipped about on the ocarina.

Her head shot upward and the melody slowly died away. "Haze, I sense another one, go forth." she murmerred so faintly it seemed as if one had imagined the girl having even talking.

A pair of rather mschevous eyes opened, glinting wickedly. "Another victim!" The Raichu yelled and jumped up, his dark and foggy gray body quickly dissappearing as he ran off.

The figure shuffled slightly and pulled out a Thunderstone, "Show." She commanded softly. And with the utter of her voice the stone became glassy like a mirror and she saw blades of grass waving wildly and a boy came into focus. _'Haze, do your stuff.' _she thought and leaned back as she anticipated the show...

--

Haze's black eyes glinted as he ran up and then slowed to a stop as he now was standing behind the human boy's back. He saw that the boy was tall-ish, but not very and he also saw that the boy was alone. _'Perfect.' _He spotted a sharp glinting of silver and steel from behind the boy. He felt himself becoming completely mesmerized by the glinting and shiny shield that was hanging from the strangers back. He leaped forward, careful not to make a sound lest he give away his current position. Haze then slide it slowly of the strangers shoulder. But his tail twitched, suddenly brushing lightly against the stranger's leg and earning the Raichu unwanted attention.

"Hey!" the boy cried out as he swiped at the Raichu trying to snatch the shield back from the fuzzy theif. Haze jumped out of his reach. "Na,na!" he shouted and slapped his backside right above his long, whip-like tail, then he turned and ran, the shield grasped firmly in his fore paws as he fled.

The boy began to curse much to the dismay of all the scornful Pokemon that lived nearby.

-

Haze dashed up and quickly skidded to a halt before his master. "How did I do?" He asked twitching slightly in paranoia. The girl grinned and held out her hand, "Good job Haze." she replied, and the Raichu began to hand over his shield when a voice rang out, "Hey!" and upon looking up the girl realized the voice was that of the boy that had had the very shield Haze had stolen mere moments ago.

She withdrawed her arm and tugged the cloak tighter around herself. "Who are you and what the hell do you think you're doing?!" She yelled and glared daggers at he boy. _'My Gaurdian he looks similiar that bastard, Dezzi.'_ she thought and shook slightly.

"Your Raichu totally jacked my shield! Could you make him give it back?" "It's my shield, mine! My shield. Mine!" The boy reached out to snatch back 'his' shield, but stopped as Haze's cheeks lit up. "I said mine, you stupid dork you! Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, MINE!" the boy pulled his hand back and raised both up in a surrendering gesture while shaking his head. "Whoa there! Calm down! Fine then. Keep it, just cut out the fireworks."

The Raichu's cheeks stopped sparking and he sighed. "Fine, but no touchy." Haze murmerred then twitched his gray body. "Haze!" The girl shouted, still not showing herself, merely recoiling back further into her cloak. The Raichu's eyes widened, and he looked at his master warily. "Y-yes?" "Give the boy his shield." _'Anything if he'll leave us be,' _she thought.

"Bu-hut-" "Give it to him!" She shouted. The Raichu's ears drooped and he held out the said shield, "Here..." The boy slowly reached out and retrieved his shield, nodding cautiously. "Um... Er thanks." he murmerred. The girl's head snapped up. "You're not gone yet? Get!" she said as she made eye contact with the stranger for the first time since he'd arrived. He now saw she had the most beautiful brown he'd ever seen in his entire life, too bad they were glazed over with pain.

"I'm getting sick of being called 'him,' 'you', 'the boy' and all that other stuff, my names Stormy." he declared stepping forward with his hand held out to shake hers. She shrieked suddenly and backed away, only to realize she was about to-

"Oh, shit!"

-fall over the side of the hill. Haze grabbed at her legs, only to be jerked down the hill with her. "Damnation!" he declared before vanishing over the edge and rolling down the hill, but not without occasional curses and ows being uttered.

Stormy shook his head, _'What an odd lot they are.' _and quickly ran down the hill after the two to see if they needed any help. After all he wasn't they kind to pass up a chance to help.

-

"Now look what you've done!" The girl yelled out as she sat up from a spawled position, dusting off the dust that had coated her during and after her tumble. My halo is not supposed to be around my neck you damn furball." She declared pointing at the glowing ring that now was around her throat.

"It's not my fault you desided to react so frightened and all... Ever hear of conquering one's fears, Scarlet?!" The chu bellowed.

Storm appeared and stared down at the person who sat so uncomposed now before him, "Your name is Scarlet?" He began, gasping from the long trek down the hill. Scarlet fidgited, instinctively pulling her cloak around her but accidently left the hood down, long crimson hair that went way beyond her shoulders left exposed to the light and shimmering with warm colours.

"What's it to you?!" She yelled and began to yank at the halo to no avail. "Damn, it's wedged pretty badly now..." She glanced around and then, began to yell. "Haze, get off of your furry ass and help me out! Now, Fuzzybutt!"

"I might just be able to help." Stormy offered, but a quick glare Scarlet shut him up rather fast. "If you touch it, you will end up tainting it and it'll take too long to purify it once more. I'm in one helluva predicament..."

Haze's foggy gray furred body came into sight and he wobbled slightly. "Why not let him have a try at it?" He squeaked, slightly ticked. "Were you even listening Fuzzybutt?!" "Not really, why did you decide to get a size bigger halo?" he asked sarcstically. "Nu-uh, nothing doing! This was a gift." She shot back. "I think I might be able to find a way to get that halo off your neck without causing any damage..." Stormy muttered, slightly inaudible but Scarlet managed to catch every word of it.

"You won't ever shut up, and you certainly won't go away, so I guess you might as well try to do something useful for me. Now get it off!" she yelled and balled her fists. "Hey now. I can't do a thing if you don't stay still." he declared as he kneeled down to eye level and brushed a stray lock of hair from the girl's face. Scarlet paused then smirked and dropped her hands into her lap.

But the second his hand reached out to her neck her right hand flew to his arm, nails lightly digging into his skin. He paused, marveling at her strength, he could see the light of a fighter shining in her eyes.

His hand continued foreward, her eyes flickering with fear and she fought a shudder before the fear boiled down quickly to show caution.

He touched the halo, a soft glow rising from it and a warm sensation engulfed his body, he pulled loosely at the ring, mentally praising himself when it loosened and stretched out to slide up over Scarlet's head and all.

Haze, who had been about to try and keep his master from maiming the strange newcomer felt a glimmer of hope fill his heart. _'Maybe he can help her become more human.' _He thought hopeful.

Scarlet's eyes crossed and then she gazed at the object that rested, glowing faintly in the palms of Stormy's hands. "Ho- Wait, you don't have a halo so how did you kn-" Know?" he said puzzled, while cutting her off, "I didn't. It, just, well, came to me to do that. Weird eh?" He said smiling a toothy grin that made him look like a complete moron.

Scarlet felt surprised even she couldn't make a halo stretch by just touching it, so how was it he could?

She felt her heart flutter lightly, but then something else accidently fluttered too.

A rustling sound came from beneath the back of the child's cloak, Storm's head tilted and he glanced around towards her back. "What was tha-" "N-nothing!" she squealed back, blushing and folding her hands behind her back nervously.

"It was something..." He said and snaked his hands back to her folded hands, tugging each one the opposite direction, and he straddled her. Scarlet made a loud, "Ieeeee!" and fell forward onto her stomach, her cloak fluttering up over her head.

"Whoa! These are," _'Oh, please no!' _she screamed inside her mind. "wings... Real wings. Wait! A halo _and_ wings, you're an angel aren't you?" he asked and released his grip on her hands with a high pitched yell as soon as Haze lashed out, catching him unawares as the Raichu sunk his teeth into the boys right arm.

Scarlet scrambled to cover herself back up with the cloak. "Not quite, but all you want to know is how much you'll make exploiting me in public." "What?! Whay would I do that?" "Don't you dare lie like that! All anyone has ever wondered was how to make my painful physical appearance into cold hard cash, and you are no different!"

Haze released his grip now, spitting out blood and rubbing his muzzle clean. "Yeah, that's what they've done to her every single time, try to take advantage of her. Whay would you be any different boy?" the chu asked tauntingly.

"Because I care!" Stormy shouted back and flinched as Scarlet gave him a icy gaze that froze him to the spot. "They all claim to care, but they don't." she said coldly and tapped her waist lightly, "Come on Haze, I'm not going to stay around here much longer. If I do he'll be able to have enough evidence to get a reward or something of the sort."

And with that she walked away, the boy staring in disbelief as she went. What had just happened? He told her he cared and she had just thought he was lying. Why? Because he knew what she was?

He shouted out, amazed at how desperate he sounded. "I thought you were different too! I'm a freak too and you didn't seem to care, who's crossed who, Scarlet?!" He yelled angerally.

Huffing Stormy turned and walked off, not caring that he had just passed up what might have been the only opportunity to follow the pretty girl with a secret.

As he walked along he ducked his head against the clawing branches of some low hanging trees, raising his head as soon as the branches that scratched became less and less.

A rustle from the trees above and his head shot up, but as the sun fell beyond the mountain peaks he found that all there was was but a shapeless black mass of objects. Another rustle, then a growl.

"You dead boy, you dead!" Came the cry as a winged shape flung itself upon him, he fell back, feeling the wingtips just graze his face as the thing landed atop his chest. "Oomph!" He cried, winded from the blow. Nails sunk into his sides, pain coursed along his spine in fiery bursts.

"I never crossed you! Never!" Came Scarlet's hoarse plea as her arms raised up, only to hit him in the gut, her eyes welling with tears as the boy merely whined. "Then what are you doing now? Crossing who now? You've crossed yourself, now, Scarlet, you have crossed yourself." His words hit her harder than any physical blow ever could and she felt a stabbing pain in her chest. Her eyes widened, _'Cripes, it's true, I've gone off the fucking deep end this time!'_

She scurried back in horrid realization, clutching herself tightly; her cloak was completely absent, and now her wings shielded her body, soft, pure white and snowy ivory feathered wings. Even in the darkness her halo shown down onto the distraught Scarlet.

Storm gasped, paused, and realized the blows and attacks hadn't been as bad as they felt, Scarlet probably couldn't hurt anyone that badly even if she had tried in reality. He realized this now as he gazed at the exposed child, her entire frame and being shook with pent up sobs that racked her body, she turned and fled.

And he watched her, watched her go and refused once more to follow. A small sound made him look down. "Chu." "Haze?" "Yeah?" "Where is she going?" Haze glanced back, Scarlet's halo giving off a small glint as she dissappeared, running on foot as fast as she could.

"Somehere, but I must apologize, she's not good. She'll come back though." _'At least I hope she will.'_ he thought glumly.

But Stormy seemed upset, desiring to follow her, hell, she was so interesting, her voice, her actions, her feelings, and even everything else about her fascinated him.

"Stormy," Haze said, "you're not honestly crazy enough to be planning on following her after that experiance are you?"

Storm took a deep breath, "Yeah, I am." Then he took a few steps forward, "Let's go"

-

Scarlet lay shuddering, damnit! Why was she cursed to feel, but not know what she felt? She was cold, but the temparature was in the seventies, and even if it were in the forties she would've normally still been good, but now, she was cold.

The numbing coldness pissed her off more than it numbed her, but moments later she'd bcome sad and deprssed for behaving so meanly, truth was, her emotions made her lack a sense of feeling until they gnawed down within her to her bones, chilling her straight to the core.

The coldness wasn't outside though, no, worse, it was inside, a place that she couldn't seem to warm up no matter what she did.

Even now, she felt her hear ache, but for what she didn't know. But it was all Stormy's fault! It had to be. _'Who else could be to blame?' _she wondered. _'Unless, it's my fault... Everything's supposably my fault.'_

Her eyes closed and she slept fitfully throughout the night. But one thing puzzled her, _'I felt warm when he touched me... Why?'_

-

Stormy yawned and trudged on, he wondered if he was even going the right way, but walked on, no longer caring._ 'All roads lead to Rome,' _he thought tired and yet no less determined.

"So, then, Storm. You do like Scarlet right?" Haze squeaked and paced himself forward. "Hmm-mm I guess, I haven't known her long enough to tell... But she's certainly different, she's exotic for sure."

"Yeah, I knew that from the start when I was a kit, a Raichu kit to be exact." Haze said in attempt to get a conversation started.

"No evolving?" "Nope born a Raichu." "That's highly unusual."

Haze tapped his paw against his chest proudly. "I'm not unusual, I'm just exotic and highly rare amoungst your common Raichu." he boasted. "And Scarlet's incapable of being all fist and fight she's really moreso frail and feeble, forgive her."

"She's tougher than many think, She's stronger than she shows. Haze do you know how she came to be like that?"

"Born into it like me." The Raichu replied.

"You sure?" he asked doubtfully surprised. "No, actually she _was_ born into it, there's no other way a human have that happen."

"So she's not all angel?"

Haze sneezed, "Naw, she's seventy two percent angel." Storm stopped walking. "How can you be so sure? Isn't percentages kinda iffy?" Haze glared up, a low hateful 'chu' escaping his lips. "Humans are soo very technical, why can't you let it be without explaination?" His eyes widened suddenly, " Oh, crud, hey Storm move around and be distracting okay?" "What, why?" "Just do it!"

Haze then bolted forward, cheeks sparking as he flipped himself through the air, his tail sparking as it hit a Golduck. "Back off Ruby! You keep your distance." he hissed and the Golduck swiftly backhanded him; a real bitch-slap.

"Hazey-kins, back the hell off and mind your business." The Golduck said sweetly even though its wrds were laced with acid. "You forget," Haze muttered through gritted teeth as a orange glow filled his mouth, "she is my business!" He swung his tail, tripping the duck's webbed feet right out from under her.

And he sunk his teeth deep into the bitch's right thigh, electricity flowing from within his throat through her entire body. Temporarily paralysing her _almost_ completely.

But it opened its beak and tried to focus, a beam of blue begginning to charge, until Stormy threw a rock at it and cracked the gem and caused the attack to dissapate into nothingness.

"Tell Dezzi that he can't have Scarlet now, or ever." The duck just glared, teleporting then with a sinister 'quack'.

Haze rushed up to Scarlet, her halo glimmering faintly. He summed up the situation. "Ruby's been messing with her mind since this morning, who would've guessed?" Stormy stared at Scarlet, his gaze softening. "Haze, Scarlet can stay at my place." Haze's eyes widened, "You sure?" Storm nodded and smiled. "She can stay as long as she desires."

Scarlet's eyes snapped open at the sound of Stormy's voice and as his spoken words registered she smiled. "Your loss..."

**_-----------------------_**

Stormy groaned as sunlight shone onto his face from outside and rolled over falling out of his bed and onto the floor. "Ow," he said as his head came in contact with the floor.

"Whowza! Was it all just a dream?" He asked and rubbed his head. "Oh, no, and I'm in no way sad to say it wasn't a dream." Came a voice. At that his eyes shot open and he came face to face with a ghostly white-furred Abra. "Boo!" the Abra shouted. "Aaah!" Stormy yelled and jumped back up into his bed. Clutching the blankets then, hiding under the covers.

A low squeaky laugh filled the air. "What a dork." At the sound of that particular voice Stormy felt he knew the Pokemon who had just spoken and peeped out from beneath the blanket, "H-Haze, is that you?"

"Yup, sorry if my pal here scared you, she's always like that."

"I'm almost not surprised, Little Sydney is a lot like that too... Wait! It really did happen?! But how did I get here?"

Haze rolled his eyes, and Stormy became puzzled, why hadn't Catarina gone off? She always screamed stranger danger, so why wasn't she screeching it right now?

He looked under his bed and there she was; Scarlet lay sleeping on her side, softly snoring with a small tan Teddiursa with a earring in its left ear being cradled in her arms and curled up beside her was Caterina.

_'Well, some gaurd Skitty you are.' _He thought and smiled at Scarlet. "She sure is pretty."

The Teddiursa yawned then it opened and smiled. "Hi, I'm Demetri." "Hi there, are you a close friend of Scarlet's?" The bear nodded. "Yeah, Haze and Cliffo are still around right?" Its voice identified it as a rather young male.

"Um, Haze is here, but who's Cliffo?" The Teddiursa tilted it's head in a confused manner, a paw going to its chin as though Demetri was thinking hard. "Cliffo," he began, "is a white Abra who likes to scare people."

"Oh, well then yeah she's here too and she scared me already."

Scarlet groaned and stretched out, Storm's eyes jumped towards the movement and his eyes scrolled up and down her body. "Morning Demetri..." Her dark brown eyes drifted up and met Stormy's aquamarine orbs and she hardened her gaze then quickly softened it as she smiled sweetly. "Morning Stormy."

"Hey Scarlet, did all that really happen? An if it did, how come my kitties stayed home?"

"Oh, well," she said stiffling a giggle. "Cliffo and me had a dream scheme so to speak, but I never went through with it. Cliffo and Demetri got them enough catnip to distract them from following you and such, but for now why don't we get to know each other." A sly wink.

"And besides you are such a cute persuasive friend of mine now. And I feel we're going to become closer than ever."

Stormy felt his cheeks burn. "O-okay sure! By the way, this is completely off topic, but, would you like to go on an adventure with me?"

As Scarlet shifted and crawled out to sit on the edge of Storm's bed. she smiled and tugged down lightly with her hands until she fixed her pink cloak around her body. "I'd be honored."

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, but I own this fic and my other fics and my characters... I also believe I own Stormcatcher32's characters because I already own him! 8D

Yeah, well, this is written for Stormcatcher32, I told him I'd consider doing this and I ended up doing it just to make him feel happy.

Be nice and...

**Reveiw!**

**Viva la feedback!**

You don't have to reveiw, it would be nice, but I'm not going to go pressuring anybody now.

I don't really care what anyone but Stormcatcher32 thinks so go ahead and tell me your thoughts just don't try to 'boo' me off the stage.

As for character info like Stormcatcher32 does about his Pokemon characters used in his fic heres my own Pokemon character info on the ones in this fic:

Haze: Scarlet's assistant and main fighter. Foggy gray furred male Raichu with a habit of pilfering things from strangers and bringing them back and giving them to Scarlet. Can be a bit of a smartass at times.

Cliffo: Scarlet's healing friend who teaches her about magic and life. A milk white female Abra who loves to scare people but isn't very mean and gets upset when someone starts to fight and bicker with another especially when the someones are or were friends. But this is not to say she won't fight for her friends, quite the contrary, she'd die for Scarlet or anyone else in the group.

Demetri: Scarlet's little baby. A young, tan male Teddiursa who is very childish most of the time. Naturally curious; and a tad bit naive, yet somehow mature at the most random of times. He's adored by everyone around him, especially Stormy and Scarlet.


End file.
